Making Ancient Texts Engaging for Students

Teaching ancient texts to students can be challenging, especially with works like The Odyssey. Casey Crowhurst, who has taught high school English for 16 years, finds that engaging students with this 2,000-year-old text requires creative approaches.

The Challenge of Teaching The Odyssey

At Monticello High School in eastern Illinois, Crowhurst notes that students often question the relevance of such old material. The epic poem, while significant, can feel tedious for modern students. To address this, Crowhurst incorporates clips from adaptations like the 1997 Hallmark miniseries into his lessons. While students find some of the special effects outdated, these adaptations help maintain their interest.

An Exciting New Adaptation

With the release of a new film adaptation of The Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan, Crowhurst found an opportunity to further engage his students. After watching the film, he expressed his gratitude to Nolan on TikTok, acknowledging the positive impact such a high-quality adaptation can have for English teachers.

“I just saw the Odyssey and I want to say on behalf of all English teachers: Thank you, Christopher Nolan. Thank you.”

Utilizing Media in Education

Erin Hall, an English teacher from Charlottesville, Virginia, emphasizes the importance of using media in the classroom. She believes that incorporating films and other visual adaptations excites students about learning. Sarah Noll, at South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia, uses these adaptations to support her multilingual students in acquiring English skills. By using visual content, students build vocabulary related to the epic, such as words like ‘ship,’ ‘sea,’ ‘king,’ and ‘suitor.’

These teachers and others plan to integrate the new movie into their lessons, aiming to make The Odyssey more accessible and engaging for their students.